Bucket List

 It may seem like a strange thing to include visiting the Botallack tin mines in Cornwall in my bucket list of sites to see but is has long been an ambition of mine to go there. Not because the landscape was made famous by TV shows like Poldark but because of the real history of the place has always fascinated me; the hardships of the men who put their lives at risk deep under ground, the families who supported them and the harsh conditions they endured.  The site is managed by the National Trust and is genuinely a national treasure.

Although I was only in Cornwall for a few days I was pretty determined that I would get here and I was so pleased that I did. After visiting Land's End which was fun (watching a shoal of Tuna feeding down below the headland) it was also too commercialised and far too busy for my liking, a short drive up to Botallack was definitely the right move. For a start it was much more peaceful, there was hardly anyone else around, and the scenery was even more impressive. The industrial architecture was stunning and it was quite an adventure finding the right angles to photograph from. I got into a bit of trouble as I clambered up and down the slopes but the slight risks I took seemed insignificant compared to those taken by the men and women who made a living here many years ago.

I visited at the end of a sunny but blustery day at the beginning of October and I tried to imagine how challenging it must have been when the weather conditions were less favourable, or even quite hostile as I am sure they can be on such an exposed landscape.

Below is a small selection of the images I took on the day (I have more that I may share another time). I chose to do mostly black and white images because they are more dramatic than the colour images and I felt they were more evocative of the period when this place was in use. Feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think.

Building For The Future

Today I was asked what the highlight of my roadtrip was and my first thought was the Lego House in Billund, Denmark.  To be fair there were lots of highlights and I don't really want to pick a favourite but there was something really unusual and unexpected about the Lego House that was totally captivating.

Billund is the home of Lego, and it was a bucket list item for my son to visit since he is and always has been a massive fan of Lego. As we drove into the town we were greeted by the sight of a beautiful white building with lots of clean angles and perfectly straight lines that genuinely took our breath away.

We parked up in a space with an hour limit and went off to look over the building and get a few photos but it was such an amazing building that as we explored I realised that 1 hour would not be enough and so I moved the car and parked up for 2 more hours and went back to play.  Yes, that's right. The building as well as housing a big exhibition of Lego structures inside is also a massive playground on the outside with  hidden levels and activity zones.

I will share some pictures of the overall structure some other time but for today I have selected a few images showing different perspectives of the stairs and giant seating on opposite sides of the building. It is really bold and beautiful, just wait til you see the full building.

Float Planes

So the last couple of days there has been a recurrent theme of flight and today I have continued the theme with this shot of a float plane at Georgian Bay. 

We stopped off for lunch at Parry Sound and went down to the marina to explore a little. There were a few of these planes moored up, I have always liked the idea of taking off and landing on water and I was really tempted to take a flight over Lake Huron but there wasn't time to do it on this trip. Maybe next time. Just one of many reasons I want to go back.

A Firm Favourite

Yesterday I promised that I had a real treat in store for today, and I defy you to say that I have let you down...

A couple of weeks ago I got to visit Skomer an island bird reserve in Pembrokeshire, managed by The Wildlife Trust of South & West Wales. It is only accessible for a few hours per day and visitor numbers are limited to a maximum of 250 people per day. It is a short boat ride from Martins Haven to the island and then a steep climb from the landing point to what is a wonderful home to colonies of seabirds and many other species of birds. On the day I visited there were only about 100 visitors to the island and it felt like a real privilege to be there. I enjoyed speaking to other photographers (about the birds and about kit) and to some of the warden volunteers whose knowledge really added something to the experience. 

I was especially keen to visit to see the Puffins that were breeding on the island and to be able to get up so close to these iconic birds was a bit of a bucket list item for me. Puffins are on the international Red List of Endangered Species and with decreasing populations they are vulnerable to extinction; although seeing the numbers on Skomer in their burrows, on the cliffs, in the air and on the water it is hard to imagine their total demise. It underlines the importance of places like Skomer where they  enjoy a degree of protection.

So for today I hope you enjoy the three pictures above. I really love them and in the coming days I will share some more. I have pictures of several of the other species from around the island too, and even some landscape shots to share so make sure you come back to see.

Bluebells all the way

When I visited Skomer I wasn't expecting to see acres of bluebells in full bloom but that is what I saw and so I'm sharing a couple of shots taken with my phone.

Visiting Skomer was something of a bucket list activity for me and soon I will share some pictures of the real stars of the island but for now these shots area taste of wild beauty.